WARNING: Low Carb Danger!! Please read

[Sabazel]

Hello all.

This is not a post to say that LC diets are bad or the devil or anything like that, I want to say that UP FRONT.

I used a LC diet to get down some extra pounds, and I loved it.

However, I want to share my story with you to make sure that it never happens to any of you...b/c it's so easy with this diet I think to fall into this trap:

For the past few months, I've been using the LC diet as a way of disguising anorexia. I was at my goal weight, and I found that I was suddenly afraid of carbs. At all. So I let myself continue without them thinking it was ok...it wasn't. I'm not 110 like it says over there, I'm 105. It's just a little embarresing to admit, all EDs are a little embarresing to admit.

I believe that many people my age use this diet as a way to starve themselves, and it happened to me. I'm just starting to ad back carbs to my diet. Because you DO NEED them. I started to get trapped in the mindset that you not only didn't need them, they were bad. They are NOT bad. OVEReating them is bad...but sometimes I hear people talk on this site about "evil carbs" and it scares me, because I hear people SAY the same things I was thinking while I was sick with my ED.

I haven't had my period in months. I just realized I had a real problem a few weeks ago. I just started making changes today.

Again, I'm not saying that I believe this is a bad diet, or an unhealthy diet, because lord knows I did it and it worked for me. All I'm saying is PLEASE make sure you're having correct thoughts about food and the role carbs are going to play in your life once your target weight is reached.

Maintenance isn't about finding the least amount of carbs your allowed to have. I don't think it's healthy for anyone to be afraid of carbs. That's what happened to me. I think people should think of maintenance as finally being able to ad them back in.

That's all. I hope I didn't offend anybody.

-Sophie

[alto]

Sophie, I hope our nutrition experts will see this post and respond more fully than I can. I'm glad you're fighting to get back to a more normal way of eating. I'm sure it's very hard, and congratulations for the progress you've made so far.

I think when people here refer to "evil carbs" we're talking as carb addict to carb addict. Not normal weight people who are afraid to eat a carrot because they'll gain an ounce, but people who, in some cases, eat tremendous amounts of sweets, or who live on junk food, or who've overdone it on bread and pasta.

I think if you read the posts you'll find a healthy respect for vegetables and constant advice to eat 10 to 12 times your body weight in calories, to add fat to your diet, and NOT to drop below 20 carbs a day because it won't speed weight loss and it isn't healthy.

You might want to take a look at razzle's journal called maintenance mindset, I think (but it will be in the R section). Her challenge for maintenance is adding lots and lots of vegetables. You may get some support and ideas from reading that.

[Karen]

Thanks Sophie! You have given us one side of the many faceted coin of eating disorders.

One of the other sides, is that of that compulsive overeater who is addicted to carbs.

I never realized that I had a problem until I started low-carbing. Because of it, I discovered I was an addict and realized that a recovery program would be the best thing for me to do to change my life mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

Because of my addiction, I can't eat sugar or flour or artificially sweetened desserts without it starting me on a downward spiral. So for me, certain carbs are "evil", but only evil if I choose to eat them and let them have power over me.

For the overweight and the compulsive overeater, finding the right balance is crucial, and carbs in the form of vegetables suit me just fine.

Good luck on your journey of recovery and self discovery!

Karen

[razzle]

hugs to you, ((((sophie)))

I see it a lot on this board--the Eating Disorders mindset. ("I need to punish myself for a slip" and "I know I'm in a healthy weight range but you just don't understand how horribly fat I am" and "but I still have fat on my thighs!" from reproductive-age women and on and on and on.) You're absolutely right, LC can be used as a form of compulsive self-control just as can low-cal eating, exercise, vomiting, or use of various medications.

YAY for you for figuring this out. Don't take this the wrong way, but in a way, you made my day. I see the ED talk here a lot, and sometime counter it (and often tick people off when I do), seldom see people understand what's wrong....and so to see you having the lightbulb go off in your mind--wow! It's just a great thing to see. This truly does mean you're half the way to getting better.

BTW, I do seem to have "Bad" carbs for myself--but they aren't morally bad! I think I'm actually slightly allergic to wheat, and know I am to chocolate. Oddly enough (lol--okay, not so oddly), these are the only two foods I'd ever binge on. Otherwise, I suspect I can eat all sort of carbs.

But otherwise, you're right. Bananas are not evil, peanut butter isn't, veggies certainly aren't!...and believe it or not, being a size 16 isn't the worst thing that can happen to a woman, either.

I hope you post about this in the college/teens forum too--indeed, many (though hardly all) of our members who show signs of twisted, ED-type thinking about food are in that age range. I can hardly blame them with the constant barage of brainwashing they suffer on the topic, but we all need to work towards sanity on this issue, counter the profiteers' messages about our bodies, and learn to love ourselves even when we're fat.

Thanks for your honesty. Please don't hesitate to find professional help for your situation--if that's too scary right now, go to your library and check out some books on the topic, okay? There's hope, truly.

[slimchance]

Excellent point Sophie! :thup:

I am of the mindset that certain carbs are "evil" and certain carbs are "good," the evil ones being nutrient-free processed sugar foods, and the good ones being nutrient-rich vegetables, etc. :)

You are so lucky that you have the presence of mind to realize that you may have a problem and you are able to get it under control...as are the people here who realize that they may have a problem with addictions or overeating. Many people don't realize this until it is too late, and their health suffers. :(

I often read posts from people who are not educated on this WOE and believe that they are only able to eat meat, cheese and eggs, and this is where the bad publicity comes from...or their idea of this "diet" it comes from the bad publicity...vicious cycle. We all hear of famous people that have had great success with this WOE, but some people don't fully understand how and why this WOE works. I wouldn't play with explosives if I didn't know what I was doing, and for the same reason I wouldn't play with my health. The consequences can be too disastrous. :eek:

I hope you spread the word around the forum, especially to some of the newbies...many people arrive here in desperation to lose weight, but don't realize that proper information is essential to their health and to their success with this WOL. :confused:

There should probably be a "newbies thread" somewhere that outlines the "essentials" of each eating plan (is there one already?), why and how they work, that can be referred to in the cases where a new member is unarmed with the adequate and correct information. Reading the books is the first place anyone should start, but unfortunately that is not always the case. :(

I wish you the best of luck in maintaining and try to educate yourself as much as possible so that you don't fall back into the same trap. :eek:

All the best,
KC :wave:

[nsmith4366]

Because someone else might recognize themselves and get help, please list what your typical diet used to be daily when you were "hiding your eating disorder behind LC".

I do eat carbs, but I save them all of them for dinner, then I ENJOY and I do not limit food as any kind of punishment...classic sign of an eating disorder.

Thanks. I hope you do list you eating behavior patterns/typical menu at that time...many people are looking in and some need help. One more thing...

If going NO carb won't help you lose faster, and some say you won't get thinner than is healthy for your body - did you just get that thin from basically not being hungry and or do you think it was from eating lots of foods, but no carbs? Maybe you will never know.

Thanks for being brave enough to admit to this. Many people are accused of eating disorders on these/other boards and they do have eating disorders, but have not DIED yet thanks to eating SOMETHING on a low carb diet (beats eating nothing)...but healthwise, your post could really save someone's life.

I've read that the new eating disorder will be low carbers who get to goal and can't stop! Everyone's thoughts on THIS are invited...

THERE SHOULD BE A SAFE THREAD - WHERE PEOPLE WITH EATING DISORDERS WHO ARE USING LOW CARBING TO SLOWLY GET BACK INTO EATING ANYTHING AT ALL ON A REGULAR BASIS CAN POST...or people who have a hard time knowing how thin is too thin on low carb. A place of no shaming or accusations.

[Kent]

Hi Sophie,

I am sorry about your misunderstandings of basic nutritional science because your subject is an incorrect statement.

WARNING: Low Carb Danger!!

There are NO dangers from eating a Low-Carb diet.

There are some 57 essential vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, etc., required for health of a human. However, carbohydrates is NOT one of them. The daily requirement for carbohydrates is ZERO, ZIP, NONE. The nutritional labels on food in the USA shows a "DV - Daily Value" for carbohydrates, but this is another lie of the politically correct food police.

Health is improved as the level of carbohydrates in the diet the diet decreases. The low-carbohydrate diet prevents age-related degenerated diseases. Skinny people can also eat low-carb and gain weight. As an example:

A relative of mine developed irritable bowel disease (IBS) or Crohn's Disease from eating a high-carb diet combined with the deficiency of protein and fats from meat. Her low weight was 92 lb. She started the low-carb diet by eating lots of meat and fat, and her weight increased to 102 lb. in only 4 months and her disease is mostly cured.

You weight difficulty could be from the avoidance of fats, especailly saturated fats as found in butter, meat and cheese. An increase in calories could also be contributing to the low weight. Give it a try.

Check out my web page about beef:

Myths, Distortions and Lies About Beef. (http://www.biblelife.org/beef.htm)

Kent :wave:

[razzle]

kent, either you didn't read her post very carefully and just had a knee-jerk reaction to the title before you fired off your response, or you don't know much about eating disorders. Irrespective, what Sophie said is important and true.

LC CAN become another eating disorder for those people (mostly women) who are so predisposed--and it's darned hard not to be predisposed for women in this culture. Any "diet," followed fixatedly can become a neurotic orthodoxy--some interesting new writing is being done about that and the psychology of such rigidity.

nsmith--i think there's space for that sort of thread here, though most people with EDs would not know they had the problem, I suspect. I've never seen anyone "shamed" for talking about their EDs--I certainly talk about my ED past frankly and have never had anyone say an unkind word. If someone said that one of my posts sounded as if I were slipping back into an ED-type relationship to food or exercise, I wouldn't be resentful--I'd be thankful and seriously examine myself for those signs!
But no thread on a public board can be kept "safe," and therapy for any serious ED should probably be done with a professional. I'm certain there are ED boards out there, as well.

[Kent]

LC CAN become another eating disorder for those people (mostly women) who are so predisposed--and it's darned hard not to be predisposed for women in this culture.

razzle, how can LC eating become a disorder if it produces AWESOME health and causes no known health disorders? LC cannot be classified as a eating disorder. This site is loaded with information on healthy zero carb dieting such as the "Meat Only Diet", Dr. Bernstein followers and others. This is a LC site with thousands of posts in support of the LC lifestyle.

I know a little about eating disorders. I was heavily into carbohydrates and personally know how they will give one a book full of diseases. The biggest eating disorders in today's society are the "fat phobia" and "red-meat phobia" that are epidemic. These are the eating disorders currently causing women sever health problems, but they cannot be classified a being "predisposed." Brainwashed is a more accurate term.

I become a little direct when people try to undercut the healthy LC WOE with "warnings" and personal experiences that violate hard science on the subject. This is not a "knee-jerk" reaction but a well thoughtout response to inaccurate statements.

[tamarian]

I have to agree with Kent. Anorexia is one thing and Low-Carb is totally different. You may use LC in an anorexic way, just any other plan. Hence the "Warning, Please read" should be on Anorexia, not LC. I very much agree with the content of the warning, but the title does blame Low-Carbing, and is a false statement. It may very well draw attention to make you jump in and read/learn, but it's false nonetheless.

I would have wroded it differently, maybe "anorexic abuse of low-carbing" or something like that.

Wa'il

[razzle]

razzle, how can LC eating become a disorder if it produces AWESOME health and causes no known health disorders?

Over on the low-fat board, they're probably saying, "how can LF eating become a disorder if..." and over on the vegetarian board, "how can vegetarian eating become a disorder if..."

Any dietary theory (and LC, as much as I like it, is just theory) can be misapplied. Like my garden shovel is a great tool--but I could also murder my irritating neighbor with it and bury his body. Tools, in other words, even great ones, can be misused. LC can be misused and become an ED for those who would continue to lose on lower carbs and do so even after achieving a healthy weight. It can also be misused (and so often is) in the meat-fast, never-go-above-20 g-for- months sort of mania or vegetable-avoidance habits you see here.

Wa'il, the original post title may not be ideal--certain I came here initially expecting to post something like Kent did--but what we have is a member who is about 10 pounds away from hospitalization for a life-threatening disease that LC is (at best) not helping...and I thought it more important for me to support what she was saying (which I believe to be valid) than to just state the same thing I've re-stated several dozen times elsewhere--that the health risks associated with LC are rare--only preexisting kidney disease and that odd disorder that makes cholesterol levels rise in some people would result in severe health damage from LCing. (though it's possible there are more, rare conditions that we just haven't heard about yet). Since highest estimates say that 50% of N.A. women have eating disorders, and ED thinking is so common on the board, it seems an important issue to address--which is why I'm so direct in reminding new members who are in their healthy goal weight range that indeed that is where they are.

It's very hard when inside an ED to recognize it, and I think sophie's pretty special for doing so. I wasn't so strong...spent years passing out every time I stood up, hating my "fat" body in my size 5's, starving myself, obsessing on every gram, calorie, etc...and only after the weight regain was I able to get the help I needed. That she can see it now is really a marvelous thing...so I won't nit-pick her thread title.

[doreen T]

Thankyou Sophie for sharing your story. I've moved this thread to our Addictions and Depression forum, and if you have a look around, you'll see other messages from members who've had similar or other experiences with anorexia. There is hope :rose:

Years ago, I became anorexic and afraid of food - any food .. while following a low calorie, low fat diet, deemed to be nutritious, and supervised by doctors and nurses. I required counselling to get past it, but I did and now body image is less of an issue (but not entirely gone) and my focus now is on health and vitality.

If you're having troubles still with fear of carbs and fear of eating, may I suggest you read Normal Eating (http://www.mirror-mirror.org/noreat.htm) from the Mirror-Mirror website, which is a personal site by a woman named Colleen, an ED survivor. That whole site is wonderful and gentle and you'll find a lot of hope there.

Good luck to you :)

Doreen

[Heather]

I think of EDs as not the content of food or lack thereof, but as a mental process, your 'control' of your world through what you put or don't put into your body. Therefore, I believe that you can be disordered through any type of eating plan that affects the health of your physical and mental capabilities. It is true there are many components to EDs, not just food issues, but I think that's where most manifest.

Sophie, thank you for sharing, it was very brave of you to post your warning and to bare your personal experience on this subject.

[tamarian]

Razzle, I agree with everything you have said.

I think the misunderstanding here is that we have two different topics, one in the title, and one in the post. I agree with your insights regarding the post, since I'm totally ignorant about eating disorders. I never had to deal with them, and hence, I'm totally unqualified to address them, and I appreciate the presence of others here who do know about them.

Wa'il

[Karen]

Yes Sophie! You are very courageous for sharing your experience with us and thank God you discovered what you were doing before it was to late.

Karen

[Sabazel]

Hello all!

Goodness....this seems to have gotten quite a response.

I really didn't mean to anger anyone (Kent:)) or say that LC diets were bad. I just thought that it was important to let people know that they can be abused, just like any good health thing can.

As for me, I've started to eat a Harvest Bar in the AM that has 45 carbs and a banana in between lunch and dinner. I'm also letting myself have a cookie for dessert now. I still eat a LC protein bar when I work out (1/2 b/f and 1/2 after). Since I work out in the AM, though, I figure that whats going to happen (what I hope is going to happen) is that I'll use the CARBS to burn during the workout, so then the protein can start to build muscle mass again. Does anyone know if that's going to work? I'm pretty muscular, I've just gotten a little too lean.

So that's me. Thanks for all the kind words of encouragement. I know that I was lucky I caught myself in time. It could have gotten MUCH worse.

-Sophie

[EveLee]

Sophie . . . You provided an excellent opportunity for everyone to challenge themselves. Thanks.

[anniemc]

Sophie,
I too am glad you started this thread. I have also suffered from EDs (anorexia and bulimia) and I know that they often develop out of dieting that gets out of hand. IMHO, anyone who embarks on a diet (WOE, if you prefer) with the intention of losing weight should be aware that it is possible to get obsessed and go way beyond your original goals. For someone who hasn't been successful at weight loss before, this may be hard to imagine, but it's true. Losing weight by controling what you eat is satisfying and can become addictive. It doesn't matter if you are following a low-fat diet, low-carb diet, or whatever. To succeed, you have to be a bit rigid and determined and self-denying, so it's perfectly understandable that some people get sucked into that way of thinking and take it too far.
I think Kent has misunderstood the point, big-time! I know this is a low-carb forum and not an ED forum, but EDs are so rampant in our society (and on the increase in kids) that I think everyone should understand this: EDs are *psychological*, not physical illnesses. Sophie probably already knows how to physically increase her weight, but she is in psychological conflict about actually doing so. Telling her to eat more fat/calories/whatever will not help at all. Also, it may be correct that there are no *physical* dangers associated with low-carb diets, but there are the same *psychological* dangers as with any diet. Of course this doesn't mean we should give up on low-carb diets, just be aware that the ultimate goal should always be good health and being excessively thin is *NOT* healthy, especially for young women.

[monika]

Really good points there. Thought I'm not anorexic, I do have a compulsive eating problem. (but going strong for 3 days and trying to focus on having a good mental state and wanting to eat healthy foods to nourish my body). But yes, when approaching any eating style, it can turn into an ED. Even LC. I'm hoping this does not happen to me, I do not want to lose the weight and then have a fear of gaining it back for the rest of my life when I up my carbs by even 5 grams. I still have psych issues to work on, and I'm trying very hard. Thank you Sophie for bringing this topic up.
When I was younger and did not worry about how many calories I ate every day, I was healthy, eating nutritious foods and snacks too. I did not have a weight problem. I started gaining weight when I started thinking I needed to LOSE WEIGHT! And I weighed 115 then. (9th grade). But then I felt I should lose about 5-10 lbs, and I started exercising (which isnt bad, but i started feeling guilty if i didnt do it and stressing over it), and I stopped eating foods that i normally did for periods of time, which only led to me to binge later on in life. It wasn't too bad till I went to college, where it has preoccupied my thoughts and make me hate living. For the past 2 months it's been especially rough when I've been trying to just have the days end, have induction be over so that this damn extra weight ive gained will be gone.
HOWEVER I have been able to get a grip! I'm no longer angry at myself. I am much more patient now. I have accepted the fact that for now. But I still fear that I have an ED, so i'm going tos peak to a therapist, and I really advise anyone else to do the same.
Thanks for letting my vent. !
trying to stay strong and positive!,
monika

[EveLee]

I really do agree that we have to resolve our emotional issues if we want to maintain a healthy weight. I don't have a diagnosed ED, but, I certainly do eat to mood elevate and have become overweight. I also was thin when I was younger and still felt overweight.

I'm working the SELF MATTERS book by Dr. Phil McGraw, on the Oprah Show. There is an excellent workbook on line on the Oprah site. If anyone is interested is utilizing this strategy, let me know; I would love to share the experience. I have learned so much about my life.

I have also spent many years in therapy, etc.

[monika]

hi there,
thanks for the advice on the Self Matters book. I just checked out the oprah website and it was definitely motivational. I'm feeling better and better every daY!
hope you are doing well,
monika
email me if you ever want to talk about it! monika~planet-save.com

[EveLee]

Monica . . . I'm so glad you check out the Oprah site. Did you find the section on Self Matters? There is a workbook on-line that you can use.

[monika]

Yes, I checked out the workbook. It's definitely helped me face the issues of my life. I'm trying as much as possible to be happier. In a month I'm going back to school and moving out of my house, so I know that some issues will be resolved then!
hope all is going well! ~monika

[EveLee]

Hi . . . The e-mail address doesn't work. Sorry. I think there's a way to send private message on this board.

Are you planning to work through the workbook? We can talk about it if you'd like. We could do that here or figure out how to do the private message thing. Let me know.

I'm glad you're doing better.

[monika]

i think i did a typo!
it's monika~planet-save.com
monika(the at sign)planet-save.com

definitely email me if you want to write. im not sure if the workbook can help me?
~monika

[Jessy]

hello.
well, you are talking about anorexia and LC, but I think it is much more related to bulimia.
I started dieting about twoo years ago. I was only a 7th former than. I counted calories and started successfully loosing weight. But a couples of times I overeat and become very scared that I can become fat again. Then I heard that laxatives can help. And then my eating became like this: two-three days of caunting calories, then eating untill my stomach becomes as big as possiblle, and then using laxatives. The more I used laxatives, the more my organism needed them. The instruction of using them said that I should take about 3 pills, but after using them for a longer time I even used 10 of them! But even I was doing that, I wasn't getting fatter. I tried variuos diets - sometimes eat only fruits for a week. Last year summer I was out somewhere and my mom found the pills. But she probably doesn't know anything about eating disorders and only told me that using laxative often is not good and can hurt me. But then I started eating as normal as I could, I counted calories. I don't count the overeatings, they are becoming more and more often. Last summer was the best one in my life - I finnally was thin. I really did my best and didn't overeat. but my power not to eat a lot was becoming less and less strong and on July I started eating a lot. I didn't know what to do and searched on the Internet for a good diet. Then I found this site and started LC. It was cool- eating as much you can. The summer was hot and I wanted to eat fruits, ice cream and everything that makes you not so hot..that's why I stopped Lc. But it allways stayed the diet which I used when wanted to eat a lot..now, I'm as fat as I was in the beginning of my all these diets, but I have grown up so I don't look as fat as these two years ago. I'm only 14 and all my thoughts are about food, diets, how fat I am and so on. Believe me the only thing I want is to learn how to eat! this sounds strange but that's how it is! now i'm LC, but I think I'm not loosing but gaining waight. I really don't know what to do - to stay on LC, or do smth else..the sumer is gonna be hot and the only thing I want is not to be fat.

[Victoria]

Jessy,
You are so young. I remember being your age and feeling so out of control about my weight. It can be all consuming. Try to be informed in what your doing. Read books to help you understand how Low Carbing works. It's about learning how to eat right...a healthy way to eat. Not losing no matter what! Please seek out help. You want to learn how to eat. You don't want to lose by laxatives or restricting your calories. Because most people that restrict calories, go overboard and restrict them TOO MUCH. And then your body responds by gaining weight when you get back to eating a normal amount. So many young people think that if they just STOP eating that they will have that perfect body. And when you're young that seems to be what matters most. Learn what healthy eating is, and work on that. :rheart: Victoria

[Cinderella]

I'm not sure how I missed seeing this post when it first came out.

Sophie...thank you for sharing.

God Bless...cin

[squidgy]

Umm - forgive me for not reading the whole of this thread before replying to it - will read the rest of it in a moment. After all, I figure that if everyone read very long threads all the way through before feeling that they can reply, then these threads would never get any replies at all, and as a result the forum would die off. At the moment, it's a busy forum that tackles some of the subjects I'm interested in, and I'd like it to stay that way. :)

But felt as though I had to say something when Kent said ... There are NO dangers from eating a Low-Carb diet.

I guess that's why food advertisements always carry a warning, saying that you should consult your doctor before embarking on any calorie controlled diet. Well, they do here in the UK anyway. In fact, come to think of it, that's brought it to the forefront of my mind. Haven't chosen a plan yet, but when I do, I will seek professional advice on it. :)

You see, like Kent says, there may well not be any danger from a low-carb diet. But that's not the point. The point is, people who suffer from eating disorders (and other mental health or drug addiction problems) are also likely to suffer from "cognitive distortions". Put simply, that means that they're likely to ignore remarks like "your weight is healthy" and dwell on remarks like "you're fat". They don't see things in a balanced, objective way.

This doesn't just apply to eating disorders, it applies to all sorts of mental conditions. Actually I think I'll quote from the World Health Organisation Guide to Mental Health in Primary Care .... (with a typo corrected) ....


When you are anxious, you tend to think in particular ways that are distorted. These are called "thinking errors". Here are some common examples. Try to spot the ones that apply to you.

thinking the worst, eg "The pain in my chest means there is something wrong with my heart"
predicting that the worst will happen, eg "They won't like me. They'll think I'm stupid"
exaggerating negatives, eg "I made a complete mess of it. It was an absolute disaster"
overgeneralising - if something happens once, you think it will always happen, eg if you feel anxious at the supermarket checkout, thinking "I'm always anxious when I go out"
all or nothing thinking, eg "Unless I do it with no mistakes at all, I have failed"
imagining that you know what other people are thinking, eg "I can tell they are thinking what a fool I am".



I make two points. One is that when you have unrealistic negative thoughts, you should recognise it for what it is. You can't stop them happening overnight, but once you can see them, you'll be able to rise above them, see things in a more balanced way, and feel much better about yourself

The other point is that given that this can be easier said than done, there's lots of room for misinterpretation of any kind of diet plan. Like anything, if you approach your diet plan in the right frame of mind, it may be good for you and improve your health. But if you don't see things in a balanced way, then it's likely to make you get worse. That's not the fault of the diet plan, but it's not your fault either. In fact I don't think it's anyone's fault, it isn't a blame issue. However, I do feel that diet plans should carry clear warnings for this reason.

Forgive me if this point has already been made but I'm pretty sure that most of you will agree with this. :) Comments are appreciated.

[Victoria]

squidgy,
You are so, so right! Any weight loss plan can be misused if your head is not in the right space. Many people take it so far to the point of being out of balance or too extreme. Anything can be taken too far. I think that's why I stress reading the "book", getting as much info on low carbing as you go along. People with eating disorder leanings are not always going to recognize they have a problem tho. That's why this forum is so great, getting feedback from others, helps keep each other in check and find balance. :) Victoria

[VickiP]

Wow!! Squidgy, you totally described me 100%. I guess I am anxious. I constantly think that little things are HUGE. Like, chest pains = heart attack. Going on in the list, I do every single thing that you have listed. I have been over bullemia for a year and a half, except that in the last month I have thrown up twice again. It really depresses me when I throw up. It makes every single attribute that you have listed a ton worse. I get overly paranoid, more so than I am usually. Thanks for listing that, it makes me feel better that there are other people who have the same problem.
Tori

[destro]

I want to thank Squidgy for an important and enlightening post.
I think it is important to remember that we really cannot too easily separate the mind from the body. I think that MOST of us who are overweight probably have some form of depression, or anxiety, or compulsion. It's important when you try to make Low_carb a WOE or a WOL that you try hard not to invest it with "sick" thinking. I am generalizing here, and maybe I should only speak for myself.

I am not questioning the diet; I am just questioning the ability of my own mind to do something in a sensible, rational way. I need to work hard at getting plenty of "reality checks" and realize that I, for one, just cannot follow a way of eating without doing plenty of mental health/depression check-ups along the way.

But one size does not fit all; your mileage may vary, etc. etc.